State of the Redwoods Conservation Report Maps

To mark the 100-year anniversary of its founding, Save the Redwoods League released among the most comprehensive studies ever done of the past, present, and future of our redwood and sequoia forests. We created a range of maps for the report, and were thrilled to see the report highlighted by local media, including Bay Area KTVU Channel 2 News, KQED, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

We developed five maps for the report, ranging from the simplest possible overview to more complex multi-panel stories that unfold over time.

We kept the overview map very simple, to make it unmistakable how special redwoods and giant sequoia are — Just a narrow band along the coast and scattered stands in the Sierra Nevada. At a glance, one can see how precious these ecosystems are, and then care we need to take to preserve the largest trees in the world.

For tree mortality, the available data covered all types of dead trees not just sequoias, so we had to narrow in on a clear story relevant to the report topic. Our early drafts covered a range from Calaveras to Tulare County, but to really tell the story, we needed to zoom into Sequoia National Park, highlighting specific groves to make clear that mortality among sequoias is a serious issue..

When it came to mapping development pressure on redwood forests, the challenge was again narrowing the geographic coverage to clearly portray how suburban and exurban development threatens redwood ecosystems. In this case, we focused on the Santa Cruz Mountains, where private land is surrounded by protected area and known redwood groves. Over three time slices, the predicted development of remote unprotected lands is alarmingly extensive.

GreenInfo Network

GreenInfo Network creates, analyzes, visualizes and communicates information in the public interest. We specialize in mapping and related technology for nonprofits and public agencies, focusing on using it for conservation, social equity, public health, environment and foundation grant making.